Global Talk: From Afghanistan to Syria, an evolution of militancy

Rebel Muslim fighters pose with their weapons during a break in weapons training in Barikot in the Afghanistan province of Kunar, Dec. 30, 1979 in Afghanistan. Steve McCurry/AP Photo

Dr Leah Farrall, a former counterterrorism analyst and co-author of the book, The Arabs at War in Afghanistan, talks to The National about what the Soviet-Afghan war and the emergence of the Taliban, Al Qaeda and other groups teaches us about militancy in the Middle East today, and the impact that ISIL’s rise has had on Al Qaeda.